WHY: For the Library's Asian Pacific American Heritage
Month celebration

The speech, which will focus on civil rights for Asian
Americans, is free and open to the public, and neither
tickets nor reservations are required. An exhibition and
several other events -- movies, musical performances,
dances, talks and lectures are also scheduled. For
information, see below.

BACKGROUND:

Mr. Lee was born and raised in New York City, where his
parents owned a small business. His excellent grades as a
student at the Bronx High School of Science earned him a
scholarship to Yale University, where he joined a program
for minority students. He graduated magna cum laude in
1971. Three years later, he graduated from Columbia
University Law School.

Before his December 1997 appointment at the Department
of Justice, Mr. Lee served as western regional counsel for
the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), the
civil rights law firm founded by the late Supreme Court
Justice Thurgood Marshall. Mr. Lee began his legal career
at LDF in New York as an associate counsel in 1974.

In 1983 he joined the Center for Law in the Public
Interest, a noted public interest law firm in California,
and served for five years as supervising attorney for civil
rights litigation. In 1988 he rejoined LDF. Mr. Lee also
served as an adjunct professor of political science at
Fordham University, and as counsel to the Asian American
Legal Defense and Education Fund.

In addition to the keynote address, an exhibition and
several public events are planned at the Library throughout
May to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

The exhibition "Asian Pacific Americans and American
Law" will be on public view through June 20 in the Law
Library, on the second floor of the Madison Building. The
exhibition of legal documents shows how Asian American
struggled as immigrants, how they worked to change law and
public policy, and how they won significant court victories.

Other events include:

11 a.m. May 1: lecture and piano performance of music from
the Philippines, by Raul Sunico, winner of the silver award
in the Viotti international Piano Competition in Vercelli,
Italy, and the Henry Cowell Prize at the University of
Maryland International Piano Competition. Mumford Room,
Madison Building

1 p.m., May 4: Lecture and book-signing by Cynthia Chin-Lee,
author of the children's book, A Is for Asia. She will speak
on "An Asian Pacific American's Perspective on Literary
Culture." West Dining Room, sixth floor, Madison Building

Noon, May 7: two films -- "Sa-I-Gu" deals with ethnic
relations and racism in the United States; "The Bhangra
Wrap" is a documentary of a vibrant youth subculture that
fuses hip-hop, rap and Bhangra music in a unique blend of
old and new, South Asian and American styles. Pickford
Theater, third floor, Madison Building

11:30 a.m., May 11: film -- "My America (... or Honk If You
Love Buddha)" was inspired by Jack Kerouac's novel On the
Road. Tajima-Pena's film features home movies and archival
footage from her family's beginnings in Los Angeles, where
her grandfather settled. She embarks on a free-wheeling
cross-country mission to survey the changing face of Asian
America and discovers a multicultural landscape populated by
colorful characters who are shaped by shared experience.
Pickford Theater

Noon, May 13: film -- "Bontoc Eulogy," directed and produced
by Marlon E. Fuentes, documents his personal story and
recounts the Filipino experience as a living anthropological
exhibit during the 1904 World's Fair. Pickford Theater

Noon, May 19: "Asian Pacific Americans in Local Politics," a
discussion with Del. David M. Valderrama (D-Prince George's
County), Deputy Majority Whip in the Maryland House of
Delegates, and Samuel T. Mok (R), Commissioner on the
Montgomery County Liquor Board. Dining Room A, sixth floor,
Madison Building

Noon, May 21: "Asian Pacific Americans in Organized Labor,"
a presentation by Gloria T. Caoile, special assistant to the
international president of the Association of State, County
and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), sponsored by AFSCME 2910
and AFSCME 2477. West Dining Room

Noon, May 27: "Forbidden City, U.S.A." Like the Cotton Club
of Harlem, which featured African American entertainers, San
Francisco's internationally renowned Forbidden City was the
nation's premier all-Chinese nightclub in the 1930s and
1940s. The glamour and social significance of this chapter
of entertainment history is artfully and lovingly captured
through interviews, archival film and photographs. Pickford
Theater

All events are free and open to the public.
Interpreting services (American Sign Language, Contact
Signing, Oral and/or Tactile) will be provided if requested
five business days in advance of the event. Call (202) 707-
6362 TTY and voice to make a specific request. For other ADA
accommodations, contact the Disability Employment office at
(202) 707-9948 TTY and (202) 707-7544 voice.